Monday, January 26, 2009

The Great Poem Caper

Did you hear tell?

Someone lifted my poem last week. Lifted and set it down fresh (and I do intend a double meaning there) in the comment box. It looked suspiciously like my original poem, and yet...

Well, let's just say there were a few surprises in the lifted poem. This caper occurred around the same time that Laure suggested we try a Pass-A-Poem project. (I start, someone else continues, someone else continues, and so on, publishing each version on his/her blog until I finish and publish the poem here and at High Calling Blogs. We wait with bated breath to see the mysterious process of a poem being born from many pens.)

Which made me consider. What fun to propose an all-out festival, The Great Poem Caper. With two [update: three] options. Feel free to do all three options if you're feeling energetic:

OPTION 1: LIFT-A-POEM

I invite you to lift a poem from Seedlings. You could take "Couch", the most recent, or search the sidebar under Poetry. Feel free to publish both my original and your "lift" on your blog or just put your "lift" in my comment box and I'll publish it next week in a post with a link to you. I'll also provide a link to you from High Calling Blogs.

OPTION 2: PASS-A-POEM

Let's make this as simple as possible. I'll start in a minute, with the first line. If you want to participate, just add your second (or third or fourth or whatever line/s) to mine (or to the previous participant's) right here in the comment box. Please add no more than three lines. Then feel free to take the poem in the stage you left it in over to your blog and publish it. By Friday, I'll wrap up the poem and publish it here and at High Calling Blogs. You are welcome to publish the finished product on your blog too. This is a collaboration, and I promise to link to each participant as a thank you. (NOTE: If for some reason we have a collision in the comment box... two of you pushing the publish button at about the same moment, taking the poem in two different directions, I'll make an executive decision at the point. No worries.)

If memories were sparrows,these clipped wings would flyto where feather touched mountaintop and soared.Where innocent eyes were too new to see dirt and filth and breaking hearts all around.Where bare feet meant freedom not poverty.Where wealth was defined by being loved.Where fleshy armswelcome this sparrow hometo the nest.

A bit disjointed but my daydreaming was interrupted today. This was so much fun, L.L.!

Well, I took on the challenge and decided not to clutter your blog with the results. They are available in my most recent post. You picked the perfect starting line for me, because it captured a theme that had been fascinating me all day!

I saw various dear ones doing your challenge around the web and the opening line just set up shop in my head last night and birthed it's own poetic child within when I laid my head down to rest, so I too will share. I have posted it with accompanying photos at the following url http://prairieprologue.blogspot.com/2009/01/memories.html. Blessings one and all.